Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helena, MT and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $3,107 in Helena, MT, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Helena, MT
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Helena, MT Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Helena, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,107

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Helena, MT and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Helena, MT and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,107 in Helena, MT versus $996 in Lima.

Helena, MT $3,107
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,494 in Helena, MT versus $1,594 in Lima.

Helena, MT $4,494
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,882 in Helena, MT versus $2,191 in Lima.

Helena, MT $5,882
Lima $2,191

Living in Helena, MT is roughly 212% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Helena, MT is 132% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.52 $21.52

$4.42 PEN 15.16

386.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$35.04 PEN 120

189.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.96 $17.96

$6.84 PEN 23.44

162.57%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$3.27 PEN 11.22

52.60%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.10 PEN 3.78

100.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.65 PEN 2.22

164.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.58 PEN 8.85

90.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.47 PEN 15.34

52.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-32.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.58 PEN 8.86

43.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.36 PEN 4.65

227.21%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$2.95 PEN 10.11

27.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$9.10 PEN 31.19

94.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$5.81 PEN 19.91

51.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 $20.13

$9.83 PEN 33.68

104.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.01 PEN 6.89

127.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.08 PEN 3.69

68.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.37 PEN 4.70

237.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.48 PEN 5.06

168.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.96 PEN 3.30

123.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.85 PEN 2.92

81.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.88 PEN 3.02

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.87 PEN 2.97

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$5.90 PEN 20.24

76.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 $12.78

$8.81 PEN 30.21

45.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.68 PEN 2.33

426.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$26.74 PEN 91.7

121.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 $10.03

$3.81 PEN 13.06

163.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.04 PEN 7.00

63.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.80 $44.80

$7.14 PEN 24.49

527.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-40.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.1K $36.1K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

62.62%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.1K $31.1K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

21.14%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$369 $369

$73.0 PEN 250

405.45%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$16.26 PEN 55.7

319.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.0 $93.0

$27.60 PEN 94.6

237.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 $52.0

$33.07 PEN 113

57.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 $14.90

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-23.55%

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$7.39 PEN 25.33

64.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,962 $1,962

$182 PEN 624

978.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

107.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$52.6 PEN 180

24.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 $120

$34.23 PEN 117

250.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 $81.0

$83.8 PEN 287

-3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$79.0 PEN 271

53.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,756 $1,756

$723 PEN 2,479

142.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 $1,547

$340 PEN 1,166

354.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,940 $2,940

$1,184 PEN 4,060

148.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 $2,450

$635 PEN 2,176

286.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,548 $3,548

$2,449 PEN 8,394

44.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,944 $2,944

$1,372 PEN 4,702

114.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,710 $6,710

$653 PEN 2,237

928.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.94

-26.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Helena, MT: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Helena, MT

$1.5K 49.1%

Lima

$340 33.6% 78% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helena, MT

$530 16.8%

Lima

$117 11.6% 78% $413

Groceries & Markets

Helena, MT

$384 12.2%

Lima

$226 22.4% 41.1% $158

Eating Out

Helena, MT

$340 10.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 63.5% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Helena, MT

$175 5.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 35.7% $62

Getting Around

Helena, MT

$100 3.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 56.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Helena, MT

$76 2.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 37.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,756 in Helena, MT and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helena, MT pays 928% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $101 in Helena, MT vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Helena, MT

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h ahead of Helena, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,091

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Helena, MT Lima 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Helena, MT
Lima

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Helena, MT vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helena, MT and Lima differ by about 212% in total monthly costs ($3,107 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 928% higher in Helena, MT, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,756 in Helena, MT versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,962 in Helena, MT versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Helena, MT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $3,107 in Helena, MT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Helena, MT. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Helena, MT and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Helena, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.